Mother Basilisk
by AlecNight
Summary: Harry Potter is just a little boy who lives with his relatives. He has an abuse filled life. No one seems to care about him. That is until one day, he starts to talk to a snake. Very light hearted story.
1. Prologue

Harry Potter is just a little boy who lives with his relatives. He has an abuse filled life. No one seems to care about him. That is until one day, he starts to talk to a snake.

I do not own anything, simply carving out my own little piece of fantasy. J. K. Rowling is the goddess of this world, I but a humble writer.

Rating K+

Not yet beta-d.

" _Parseltongue"_

Mother Basilisk

By Alec Night

...

 **Prologue**

On a very normal day, in a very normal neighborhood, on a very normal street, in a very normal house, there is a very not normal cupboard. Inside the cupboard is a boy; small for his age. He has wild black hair, piercing green eyes. He is lying on a ratty, old cot in ratty, old clothes that are too large for his small frame. He has glasses on his face with tape in the middle. He has been lying awake for nearly an hour, waiting. He is waiting for his relatives to get up. He is waiting for the cupboard to be unlocked. He is waiting for the day to truly start, and he is waiting for all the terrors that might be suffered.

He hears footsteps coming down the stairs, which are directly over the cupboard. The steps are heavy and slow. He hears heavy breathing. His uncle is the first up.

His uncle unlocks the cupboard. The man looks enormous. He has the shape of a snowman, from the round body to the round head. His face is dominated by a huge mustache that would make a walrus embarrassed. "Why are you still laying down? You, useless boy!" The man is already in a bad mood upon seeing his nephew. "Get out and start breakfast you bastard!"

The little boy scrambles out of the cupboard and heads to the kitchen. He can barely reach onto the counter and so has to use a chair. He starts making scrambled eggs, bacon, and sausage on the stove. He puts bread in the toaster. He grabs milk and orange juice out of the fridge. He finishes with a tea pot.

Half an hour goes by and his aunt and cousin come downstairs. His aunt is a thin woman, with stern hair and stern eyes. Her face shows some wrinkles, though they are not from laughing. She sneers at him, but she simply grabs a cup and prepares some tea. His cousin is a smaller version of the uncle, including the look of disgust on his face when he looks at the boy. He knocks him into the stove as he passes to the pantry for some doughnuts. The boy puts his hands out to keep from hitting his head, but ends up burning his hands and hurting one of his already bruised ribs.

After he places breakfast on the table he stands to the side. The other three sit down and begin to eat. The aunt has some fruit on her plate, along with some eggs. The cousin has the most food and is eating as if he is beast. After a few minutes the uncle glances at the boy and huffs, this is the sign for the boy to sit and eat, although he may not eat much.

The boy eats little, partly due to his cousin having already engorged himself on the majority of food, but also because he is to be finished eating before the others. He quickly inhales some eggs and washes it down with some milk. He would like some juice as well, but that is not acceptable. He gets up and begins cleaning the dishes from breakfast.

After the dishes are dried and put away, he goes outside to begin the next set of chores for the day. This chore is actually more of what he likes. The garden is peaceful, the flowers beautiful. He is concentrating on the garden and does not hear his cousin exit the house. The cousin runs at him and kicks him in the legs. Before he leaves he spits on the small boy. The aunt comes out and sees him gripping his leg. "Get to work!" The boy jumps and winces as he resumes the gardening.

The rest of the day is filled with various chores, from vacuuming the house, to cleaning garage, to washing the car. There is a small plate with two pieces of bread left for him on the kitchen step for lunch. For dinner he does not cook, but is told to go to the cupboard. He is tired, but still has a hard time getting to sleep due to the pain in his stomach from hunger.

The next day is almost the same as the first, and almost the same as the next. These days continue and merge with one another. There is no school as it is summer. It's hot. The boy sometimes cries. The end of summer approaches and the boy actually looks forward to school, if only to get away from hell for a little while.

One day, while the boy is gardening, he hears a faint sound. He looks around in an effort to locate the weird sound. He hears it again. The bushes. He peers into the bushes wondering what could have made that sound.

 _"You sssshould not look at me child."_

The small boy is shocked and quickly looks away. He did not know that voice, and it had a strange accent. _"I'm sssssorry if I offended you. I did not know you were there."_ His cheeks flush with embarrassment.

 _"I am not offended. I am ssssimply telling you for your ssssafety. My glare is quite dangeroussss."_

 _"Oh, err...thankssssss I guess. Might I asssssk your name?"_

 _"I do not yet have a name."_

 _"Oh, well my name isssss Harry. You could come out, I'm not ssssscary."_

He hears a weird noise and then realizes it is laughter. _"No you are not sssscary. Even if you were you could not frighten me, but I daressssay that I would frighten you."_

 _"I'll be fine. I don't really care what a perssssson looksssss like, only if they are nice."_

 _"But I am not a persssson young one."_

Harry looks scared and confused now. _"Wha…what are you then?"_

Before he even finishes a creature slithers out of the bushes. It's a snake. A snake of great length and girth. The snake is covered in iridescent scales. Blues and greens and some black. The scales shine in the sunlight, making them almost ethereal. The snake as its eyes covered by skin, with yellow circles underneath, though there are also outer eyelids as well. _"I am a bassssilisk!"_

Harry gets a look of shock and fear on his face, though it also contains a bit wonder. _"How are you ssssso big? What is a basssssilisk? How can you even talk?"_ The young boy fires the questions in rapid order, before he realizes that he even asked them. He then gets sullen look thinking that he will be chastised.

 _"Hahaha. You are a cute little wizard. I am sssso big because I am a bassssilisk. I am the king, or in thissss casssse the queen, of all ssssnackssss, as well as one of the most dangerous creaturessss in existence. And you, young one, are the one who issss talking to me."_

A look of confusion appears on Harry's face. _"How am I talking to you? And why did you call me a wizard?"_

 _"You are a ssssnake sssspeaker, and becausssse you are a wizard. That issss one reasssson why I came to you."_

 _"Do you mean I have magical powerssss?"_ A look of joy appears. This would mean that he is special. That he isn't the freak and bastard that his relatives say he is.

 _"Yesssss. Magic. The other ssssnakesssss told me about you, they could ssssmell the ssssnake in you, assss well assss your magic. That issss why I ssssought you out. There are sssso few of you."_

A look of confusion appears on the boy's face. _"The sssssnake in me?"_

 _"Yesssss. The sssssnake in you isssss how you are able to ssssspeak to me. All ssssspeakersssss have sssssnake in them."_

The boy looks down in embarrassment. _"Now that you have found me, isssss there sssssomething that you want from me? Becaussssse if there isssss, then I am sssssorry to tell you that I don't have anything."_ He begins to blush once more, his hands fidgeting in his lap.

 _"I did not ssssseek you out for what you might have. I sssssought you out because of who you are. I am here for you. I wisssssh to bond with you. To be your friend."_ This causes the boy to blush and lower his head.

 _"Why would you want to be my friend. My relativesssss sssssay that I am a freak that nobody can like. That my parentsssss did not even want me. My uncle sssssaysssss that it would be better if I had never been born."_ Harry looks so despondent at this point, remembering all the times that his so-called family told him that he was unlovable, worthless, and garbage. All the times that they called him a freak, a bastard, a waste of space. He begins to cry. _"I'm no one. I'm a freak. My uncle sssssaysssss that I'm just going to grow up and be a degenerant, that I ssssshould just be gotten rid of and sssssave everybody the trouble."_ His face is become streaked with tears, tears of hurt, sadness, and loneliness.

 _"Do not cry young one. I can sssssee who a perssssson really isssss. I can tell if a perssssson is good or bad, nice or mean, truthful or lying. You are a good perssssson. If you were anything other than good and nice, then I would not be willing to bond with you."_ With these words the little orphan looked up and started to calm. He wanted to believe the snake. He wanted a friend, someone who thought that he was worth something.

But what is she was lying. _"How can I tell if you are not lying? You could be sssssaying all of thisssss and not of it be true."_

 _"Sssssnakesssss cannot lie. It is utterly imposssssible for usssss to lie. But, I underssssstand that it isssssnot ssssso easssssy to believe me. For asssss long asssss you want, I will ssssstay around here. I will keep you company, I will lisssssten to you and tell you of my life. Hopefully in time you will come to realize that you can trussssst me."_

The boy starts to nod his head. _"I'd like that."_

And with this compromise, a tentative new relationship starts. Over the days and weeks, months and years, the little boy talks to the snake. She tells him of her life, the people that she has observed, the things that she has witnessed. She was always there, always listening to him, to his hopes and dreams, and his fears. She taught him about the world, everything that she knew. She even helped him tap into and control his magic.

She became his friend, his confidant, his mother.

She became his mother basilisk.


	2. Diagon Alley

Harry Potter is just a little boy who lives with his relatives. He has an abuse filled life. No one seems to care about him. That is until one day, he starts to talk to a snake.

I do not own anything, simply carving out my own little piece of fantasy. J. K. Rowling is the goddess of this world, I but a humble writer.

Rating K+

Not yet beta-d.

" _Parseltongue"_

 _..._

 **Diagon Alley**

It's been a few years since Harry first met his snake friend. They have grown close. Harry has become quite confident in himself. No longer does he think of himself as a useless 'freak' as his relatives call him. He does, however, hide his personality around them. He knows that they are not tolerant of him being anything more than broken. They want him sad and hurting. They still abuse him. His uncle and cousin beat him up and all three call him names. He has known starvation whenever he is imprisoned within the cupboard. There have been many occasions when the basilisk has offered, or very nearly attempted, to hurt or kill his relatives, but Harry has always stopped her. He doesn't want to hurt people, he can handle anything that they can dish out, just as long as he has her.

The day started the same as always. Lying in the cupboard waiting to be let out. After making breakfast, and barely eating any of it, he goes out to the garden to take care of the flowers. While he is working, the basilisk slithers out of the bushes. She has grown over the years, nearly twenty feet long and a food in diameter. _"Good morning my sssssnakeling. How are you feeling today?"_

Immediately the boy's face breaks into a huge smile. _"Mother! I am doing well, ssssstile hungry however."_ The complaint is nothing that the snake has never heard. Truth be told, it is the norm. That does not mean that it is a big problem.

The snake drags out a basket of fruit and a loaf of bread. The snake made it a habit of slither through doggy doors in the dead of night and stealing food for her child. _"Good thing that I brought breakfassssst."_

The basilisk always brings food for the meals. The water spigot provides the water throughout the day. For breakfast it is usually fruit and bread, and lunch usually consists of meat. The child may be denied food by his guardians, but that does not mean that he starves. _"Thank you mother."_ Harry begins to munch on an apple and hides the rest of the food in the bushes. He will munch on the food throughout the day, and the remainder he will take into his cupboard for his dinner. _"How wasssss your night? Kill anymore dogssssss or catsssss?"_

 _"Jussssst ssssso happensssss that I did. That sssssmelly lady down the way isssss minusssss one more cat. Though now catsssss aren't the only creaturesssss that summer from hairballsssss."_ At this Harry begins to laugh, though he keeps in mind to keep it silent, it would be a terrible event for one of his relatives to meet his mother after all.

 _"Poor Mrsssss Figg. Her catsssss are alwaysssss running away."_ His laugh changes to snickering as he thinks of how the cat lady must be so perplexed at the pattern. _"Other than terrorizing the neighborhood, did you sssssee anything of interessssst?"_

 _"Asssss alwaysssss the only point of interssssst around isssss you."_ The boy begins to blush at the statement. He still has a hard time thinking that he is anything special. Sure his mother is a basilisk, the deadliest snake in all of creation, and sure he has magic, but there are plenty of other people with magic, and plenty of other amazing creatures. His mother just happens to be the best.

As the day wears on, the weather gets hotter. Near the end of July is always hot, and the boy is always sweating. While the boy is repainting the back fence, he hears a screech. Turning around he sees a barn owl heading his way. _"Mother, isssss it normal for owlsssss to be out during the day?"_

 _"It isssss normal in the magical world. The magical humansssss ussssse them to sssssend messsssagesssss. It looksssss like you have a letter."_ The owl drops the letter at Harry's feet and then lands in one of the trees.

Harry picks up the letter and sees that it is indeed for him, but to his surprise is addressed as 'Under the Cupboard.' He opens it and begins to read. It says that he has been accepted to a school and contains a list of items that must be purchased. He also notices that it says to send a reply back with the owl if he intends to attend.

He looks to the snake with a thoughtful expression. _"Mother, it sssssaysssss that I ssssshould sssssend a resssssponssssse back if I wisssssh to attend. If I go, would you ssssstay here? I don't want to leave you."_

 _"From what I know of this little sssssnakeling, you could take me with you. Thisssss may actually be the time for usssss to finally bond."_

Harry turns back to the letter in his hands. _"I will write back that I wisssssh to ssssspeak with a represssssentative who could anssssswer my quessssstionsssss and posssssibly help me with purchasssssing my sssssupliesssss."_

Harry sneaks into the kitchen, making sure to not alert anyone that he is back inside the house. He quickly gets a pen from one of the drawers and goes back outside. After scribbling his request on the back and crossing out the front, with a reference to the back, he stuffs the letter back into the envelope. He slashes out the address on the front and writes 'To whom it may concern.' He calls the owl down and tells it to take back to whoever sent it out. Once the owl is out of sight, he returns to his chores.

Within a few hours, Harry is back inside the house and cleaning the upstairs. A knock at the door gets his attention. _Maybe this is representative._ A minute later he hears his uncle talking with a person, and then is yelled at. "Boy, get down here!"

Quickly he descends the stairs and sees his uncle red faced and glaring at him. Behind him is a woman in a weird outfit. Her face is stern, and her hair is tied tightly into a bun. The outfit looks like robes, black with a red boarder. "Ah, Mr. Potter. I am Professor McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts and Professor of Transfiguration. You asked to speak with someone so as to answer some of your questions.

"Boy! What does she mean. Did you send something!" His uncle is yelling and looking as if he is building up to a rage.

"Mr. Dursley! That is no way to speak to a child!" Professor McGonagall is glaring at the man, her hand touching the wand inside her robes. "Mr. Potter, how about we talk out back. Unless your uncle has something to say about it." The uncle flinches under her stare. She does not like this muggle. She hasn't approved of this family since she watched them nearly a decade prior.

"Y..yes ma'am." He starts to walk through the hallway to the kitchen. Once they are both in the backyard, he turns to the lady. He thinks she looks stern and yet also kind. The eyes show a kind of compassion that he rarely sees. "I'm Harry, but you already know that." His voice is a little nervous. He has never really spoken to an adult before, or anyone for that matter. "I do have some questions."

"Very well Mr. Potter, ask your questions and I will attempt to answer as fully as I can." Her voice is warm, yet hard. She somehow seems like a lion, or lioness, dangerous and powerful, yet also warm and soft.

"My first question is what kind of animals can I bring? I noticed that it said owls, cats, and frogs, but I was wondering about snakes. Could I bring a snake?" He keeps eye contact. This something that he cares about. This concerns his mother, and thus he will not act weak.

McGonagall is taken aback for a moment. Surprise paints her face. "A snake? You wish to bring a snake?" She asks hesitantly, unsure if she correctly heard him, and even more unsure if she wants to.

"Yes professor. I like snakes and find them fascinating." He has learned to not show everything all at once. Best to remain vague and gauge a person's reaction first.

"Well, it is uncommon, but I don't suppose it should be a problem. Just as long as you can control it." She doesn't like where this is going. She was hoping to have him as a lion, yet he seems to be leaning towards being a snake himself.

"Wonderful." His face is bright, a big smile showing off his teeth. "Another question. Where am I supposed to acquire my school supplies? Is there a store or something? Could you help me professor?"

She begins to grin, just a little though. "I would love to help you. If you wish we could leave now, just have to let your family know."

His face immediately takes on a darker look. "They aren't my family. However, I would love to go now, let me just go tell them." As he walks away, she thinks on his words. _Not his family. What does that mean._

A couple minutes later, Harry walks back out. "Ready professor."

"Grab my arm Mr. Potter, and try not to fall or throw up." He quizzically looks at the woman, but does grab her arm. They suddenly disappear with a 'crack' and reappear in an alleyway. "Come along Mr. Potter."

The pair walk into a bar, The Leaky Cauldron. Upon entry, the noise stops and every face is looking at the entrance. "It's him. It's Harry Potter." People scramble to get to him, trying to shake his hand and talk with him.

McGonagall is having none of it. With a loud 'bang' from her wand the crowd backs up. She speaks with a stern voice. "We have things to do." And with that, she pulls young Harry through the pub and into the back alley. She taps some bricks and then the wall starts to move. Through the archway that assembled, Harry gazes out onto a wonderful sight. "Welcome to Diagon Alley Mr. Potter."

"Come along, we need to get to the bank so you can get out some funds." She again pulls Harry along. They make their way down the alley and a few minutes come to a building in the middle. The building is higher than the surrounding structures. It has a path on either side of it, as if it is a large rock in the middle of a stream. The building is white marble, pillars on either side of the entrance. Two odd looking creatures in armor are on either side of the doors. Looking mean and glaring at passersby. "This is Gringotts. It's where wizards and witches keep their money. The guards, like most of the staff are goblins. Very proud people."

The pair make their way in and the inside is even more magnificent than the outside. A huge room with a high ceiling. It feels like a cave, but with white walls and light shining through the golden skylight, reflecting off of the golden ornamentation. The make their way to the line to await a teller. Upon reaching the counter, McGonagall places a key in front of her. "Mr. Potter would like to access his vault." The goblin behind the counter takes the key and verifies it. She turns to Harry. "Now it is important to remember to be prepared when dealing with goblins. It denotes respect and efficiency, and efficiency translates into gold, which as far to goblins, is what matters."

"Griphook will take you. Next."

The goblin escorts McGonagall and Harry into the back. They take their seat in a cart and the goblin pushes a lever forward. The cart smoothly begins to move. The ride takes a few minutes, going down into the depths of the earth. They finally stop in front a large vault door. The party exits the cart and make their way to the door, where the goblin inserts the key and turns it. The vault opens with sound indicating that is has been closed for a while. The breeze that escapes smells musty and feels cold. She places a bag in his hands. "Mr. Potter, here is a money bag. Get a good amount of gold because you have a lot of purchases to make."

Harry is unable to react as his gaze is captivated by the three small piles in front of him. With a shove from the professor, looking slightly embarrassed, he walks forward and begins to shove gold coins into the bag.

The goblin is still at the entrance but comments. "Mr. Potter, the gold ones are galleons, the silver are sickles, and the bronze are knuts. Twenty-nine knuts make a sickle and seventeen sickles make a galleon. These are the monetary pieces of the wizarding world."

As the boy returns to the entrance he looks at the goblin. "Thank you for that knowledge. I appreciate it." The goblin is slightly taken aback, though he quickly recovers. "Griphook is it?"

The goblin looks slightly intrigued. "Yes."

With a grin on his face, Harry say, "thank you. Hopefully I will see when I return in the future."

The goblin is still wary. _This boy does not seem like most wizards. I will have to keep my eye on him._ Goblins are not used to such polite statements, or even any genuine niceties from wizards or witches. The little boy had already shown himself to not be the norm, and so the goblins would possibly have to alter how they dealt with him in the future.

Once the group returned to the surface, the woman and the boy made their way back into the alley. The witch spoke while still looking ahead. "Now, we should get you your trunk first. You can put the rest of your things in there as we procure the rest of your supplies." With that she led him to a store.

Inside the store, the boy looked around. The walls were stacked to the ceiling with trunks. They all had signs in front of the stacks. He first looked at the ones that said they were for school. "Ah, these are what every young child should get before going away to Hogwarts." Harry turned to the new voice. A man was standing near him. The man looked to be around fifty, with slight wrinkles on his face. His hair had started going grey, but there was still plenty of light brown to be seen. The man was slightly plump, but nowhere near the size of his uncle, and unlike his uncle, this man had a very cheery look. He sort of reminded the boy of a young Santa Clause, not that he had ever had a good Christmas. "These should do nicely for any first year. Though they are the very basic model."

"Basic?" the boy asked. "What might the other models have?"

The man's grin got slightly bigger. He was in no way intending on taking advantage of a child, though the child's parents, perhaps. "The basic is just that, basic. No added features. Some of the other trunks have built in shrinking spells so they can fit in your pocket, along with featherweight charms so they are easy to carry. Some of the more expensive models have expansion charms on them, with those you could fit much more than the outside dimensions would dictate. The very best has all of those features, along with powerful locking charms. They also have the expansion charms so powerful that entire libraries can be built within, or even an apartment." As the man continued, the child's eyes got bigger. When he finally heard about an entire library he knew what he wanted.

"How much might the library cost?" He had always enjoyed reading when he got the chance. Books were an escape of sorts, within he could venture to faraway lands where his relatives could never reach him, never hurt him.

"The library trunk is quite expensive, nearly five hundred galleons. I doubt your parents would be willing to spend that kind of money. Rarely anyone is willing to part with so much for a mere trunk."

The boy looked disheartened. _A mere trunk. It's a library that I could carry. That's certainly more than a mere trunk._ "My parents aren't here, and I only took out about two hundred galleons. I suppose I should just get one of the more basic models." The boy looked downright depressed at this point. Not only could he not get the trunk that he wanted, but he was also reminded that he did not have his parents. "How much for the shrinking and featherweight trunk?" he says with a somber tone.

The man looks at the child who is looking down at the floor in despair. He wishes that he could give the child the trunk that he wants, but he can't just give it away. Perhaps the child can convince his parents to come back another day. "That one is only about forty galleons. And don't worry, you can always come back another day. Look, I understand that you might want an entire library, but you will be in school, and you will need to focus on your school work. And besides, Hogwarts has one of the greatest libraries in all of Wizarding Europe."

At the mention of the Hogwarts library, Harry looks up with a smile. "I suppose I should be reasonable. Thank you mister. Hopefully I can get one the library trunks when I'm older."

With that the young boy purchases a trunk and heads back out. Through all of this, the witch looks on with a sense of contentment. _The boy has a good head on his shoulders. I truly wish him to be one of my lions._

The pair make the rounds of the stores. They get the cauldron, the potion ingredients, the telescope, and many other odds and ends the boy will need. They make their way to Madam Malkin's for Harry's robes. McGonagall tells the boy that she will be back shortly. While a lady measure Harry, a young boy steps into the section next to him. The boy has platinum blond hair, an aristocratic nose, grey, almost silver, eyes, and a recognizable sense of entitlement. "All these people," the boy drawls, "few will ever amount to anything." His eyes flash over. "Going to Hogwarts too?"

Harry nervously answers, "Y..yeah. First year." He is fascinated by the boy. He looks so calm and collected.

"Mine too," the boy exclaims. "I will undoubtedly be placed in Slytherin. It is after all the best house. Unlike Hufflepuff, or worse, Gryffindor," the boy says the last as though it left a bad taste in his mouth. "I only wish I could play Quidditch as a first year. Perhaps I should tell my father. I am undoubtedly better than most on the team." The two boys talked a little longer, or more precisely, the blond talked and Harry listened. The blond was so confident, though he did seem a little spoiled and stuck up, but those things that be dealt with. Before the blond boy leaves the store behind his mother, the boys agree to meet on the train.

Once Harry if finished purchasing is clothing, he walks outside to see if he can find the witch. As soon as he emerges, he sees the woman waiting for him with a cage next to her. Inside the cage is a snowy white owl. She looks absolutely gorgeous to the boy. "Hello professor."

"Ah, Mr. Potter. I figured I would get you a birthday present. And seeing how every wizard or witch should have an owl, may I introduce you to Hedwig."

The boy's face breaks out into a smile. "A present? For me?" Confusion crosses the boy's face. "Why though?"

She gets a sad look. "You see, I knew your parents. I taught them, and later they were friends. I still miss your parents, your mother mostly. Your father was a bit of a hand full," she finishes with a chuckle.

Hesitantly, he asks, "my parents? I've never heard about them."

"Never heard about them? Surely your aunt has told you about her sister."

"No. The only thing I was ever told was that they were drunks and died in a car accident, and that that is where I got this scar."

The woman now looks slightly angry, though that itself is a testament to her rage. She values her ability to remain poised and collected at all times. For even a little anger to seep out says that inside is a maelstrom of fury. "Your parents were certainly not drunks, and they certainly were not killed in an accident," she says sternly. "They were murdered by a Dark Wizard while trying to protect you. After he killed your parents, he attempted to kill you, but somehow you survived. That night, he disappeared, and now everybody praises you for his defeat." Her tone remained angry, but took on a despondency as well. Looking directly into the little boy's eyes, "they were good and brave. They also loved you with all their hearts."

Harry is trying not to cry, but a couple tears roll down his cheek. He sniffs, trying to control his emotions. "Tha…thank you. I…a…apprec…iate…your words." Suddenly in a very out of character move, McGonagall kneels down and envelopes young Harry in her arms. She makes a promise to protect him, in any way she can.

Standing up, she clears her throat. "Now how about we finish gathering your supplies." With that, they head off.

After purchasing the rest of his needed materials, McGonagall apparates the two of them back to the back yard of the house. "If you need anything Mr. Potter, just let me know."

"Actually, there is." He looks down. He isn't sure if he can do this. "Along with Hedwig, can I still take a snake?" He looks up at her with big eyes.

She is unable to remain impassive. With a grin she says, "yes you can, but remember keep it under control."

With a huge grin, he exclaims, "Oh, yes. I will. I've been keeping her from hurting my uncle for years." As soon as the last word leaves his mouth, he realizes that he just messed up.

"Excuse me," she says with caution, "you've been keeping her from hurting your uncle?"

Head down, he whispers, "y…yeah." He lifts his head again and tears are starting to form. "But she's good. She takes care of me. It's just that she doesn't like what he does sometimes."

With a questioning look she asks, "what does he do to you?"

"He…he doesn't always let me eat. And sometimes he punishes me." He speaks softly, the words almost lost to the breeze.

"He punishes you and starves you?" she asks with incredulity. "How badly does he punish you? Are there marks?" He nods his head. "Let me see," she demands. Slowly he lifts his shirt. She sees dark welts on his body, and even some scaring. She takes his arm and pushes up the long sleeves, revealing burn marks. "Did he do all of this to you?"

"Mmhmm." His cheeks are blushing from embarrassment. "My cousin beat me up some as well though."

"And where exactly was your aunt during all of this?" She has an idea, but needs it confirmed.

"She never hurt me, she…she just called me names."

"What names?" This is not looking good.

"Freak. Useless. Bastard." His voice is starting to shake; tears start to fall.

With a determined look, she kneels down again. "I am not going to leave you here. You hear me? I am going to take you somewhere safe." Her voice is hard enough to cut diamond. _Damn that man. Damn Albus for leaving him here._

Suddenly she hears the bushes rustling. She sees a snake coming out. It's enormous, powerful looking. She suddenly realizes what it is. "Basilisk!" she gasps.

She turns to apparate away from the dangerous creature, but stops when Harry yells, "No! No she won't hurt you." He sounds adamant that it freezes her. He hisses, _"Mother, don't hurt her. Ssssshe isssss not trying to hurt me."_

Hissing angrily, _"ssssshe wissssshesssss to take you away."_

" _Ssssshe wantsssss to take me away from my relativesssss."_

" _I am ok with that, asssss long asssss I go asssss well,"_ she hisses with a sense of finality. She will not be separated from her snakeling.

"Professor, she is ok with you taking me away, just as long as she comes with."

Now she does have a will of iron, but in the presence of a basilisk, she will admit that she may be slightly worried. "O…ok Mr. Potter. But please endeavor to make her understand that she should not hurt anyone."

Grinning, the boy says, "I will. She really only hurts animals so she can eat. I'll go get all of my stuff and then we can go." After agreeing, she allows the boy to go inside to gather his belongings. She follows in and sees that he is in the cupboard she saw earlier.

"Why are your things in here?"

"This is where I sleep," he states with a nervous voice.

"I see." She does see. She sees that her and Dumbledore will be having words. _This is absolutely intolerable._

When he finally finishes gathering the few possessions he has, the witch directs him back outside. Here she grabs his arm and his trunk, and he grabs the snake. With a 'crack' they disappear, never to return.

…


	3. New Family

Harry Potter is just a little boy who lives with his relatives. He has an abuse filled life. No one seems to care about him. That is until one day, he starts to talk to a snake.

I do not own anything, simply carving out my own little piece of fantasy. J. K. Rowling is the goddess of this world, I but a humble writer.

Rating K+

Not yet beta-d.

" _Parseltongue"_

 _..._

 **New Family**

McGonagall and Harry appeared just beyond a large and imposing gate. "Mr. Potter, might you please ask your snake to wait in the forest. We don't wish to cause a panic."

Harry looked up at her. "Why would they panic? Mother is quite nice."

The woman blanched, "Why do you call it 'mother?'"

"Because that's who she is to me. Since I was real little, she took care of me. During the night she would steal food for me so I could eat the next day. She saw that my relatives weren't feeding me enough, and so she made sure that I got the food I needed. Now, professor, why would people panic?"

Confusion marrying her face, she hesitantly answered, "They would panic because she is a basilisk. She is very dangerous."

Tilting his head and cocking an eyebrow, he responds, "And? I know she's dangerous. She told me that when I first met her."

"Please, Mr. Potter. Maybe we can discuss this a bit more later. For now, we should talk to the headmaster."

"Ok, I'll let mother know." He turns to the snake. _"Mother, would you pleassssse wait in the forest. The professsssor doesssss not want to caussssse a panic."_

The snake nods her head. _"Very well little one, but let her know that if you come to harm, I will have vengeance."_ With that, the snake slithers off in the direction of the forest.

The pair starts to walk, McGonagall looking a little relieved. "Professor, she wanted me to let you know that if I am harmed, she will be angry." The witch visibly pales at these words. A basilisk is scary enough. An angry basilisk is worse than the darkest nightmare. But an angry basilisk with motherly instincts and out for blood? Well, hopefully nothing happens.

As they approach the castle, Harry cranes his head up. Amazement and wonder dance on his face and in his eyes. "Is this Hogwarts? It's so big and amazing."

McGonagall slightly grins. "Yes this is Hogwarts. This is the main entrance, though for first years, there is a tradition of crossing the lake." Hopefully the snake will not be an issue for that. Maybe she can go through the forest and meet up with the boy later.

"That sounds so fantastic." A huge grin almost splits the boy's face in half. "I can't wait for the start of school."

As they go through the halls up to the headmaster's office, Harry looks around and marvels at everything. He constantly asks question, and McGonagall answers in an unusually cheery manner. They finally stop in front of a stone gargoyle. "Twix" she said, and the gargoyle moved aside revealing a staircase.

Upon entrance into the office, Harry once more looks around in amazement. There are a number of shiny objects, some blowing steam, some spinning, and many other intriguing actions. On the walls are portraits of men and women, whom all are now looking at the pair with curious gazes. On a stand sits a red and gold bird. The bird has a regal appearance and looks at them, as well with a curiosity.

Behind a desk is a man in light blue robes. He looks practically ancient. A long white beard, and matching hair. Half-moon spectacles on his face. He looks up from some papers that are on his desk and is momentarily stunned to see the headmistress with the boy. "Minerva, lovely to see you. I would, however, like to ask why you brought Mr. Potter here. First though, Harry, it is so nice to meet you. I'm the headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore."

"Nice to meet you too, sir." He squeaked, causing the man to chuckle lightly.

"Albus, I warned you," McGonagall says in a stern tone, "I warned you that those people would not look after him properly" the old man flinches slightly under the glare that the woman sets on him.

"I'm afraid I don't understand. What happened?" He sits forward, his hands together on the desk.

"They were abusing him. They hurt him, starved him, and put him in a cupboard."

"They also made me do all the chores since I was four" Harry added softly. This caught the adults' attention.

McGonagall turned back to Dumbledore. "See. They treated him worse that most old families treat house elves. I demand that we find alternative AND suitable living arrangements. And if you dare cross me on this, I will make you pay" she hisses threateningly. "There is also a basilisk, that has somehow become his mother, currently in the woods" she adds. "I doubt you would want an angry, mother basilisk out for your blood." On the last bit, she actually smirks.

The old man pales to the point of almost needing a coffin. "I…I see. Well…I'm sure we can find something suitable" he stammers out, "I would also like to know of this basilisk" he says turning to Harry.

"Oh, mother. She found me when I was about five. She said that she was drawn to my magic and could smell snake in me. She wants to bond with me, whatever that it." The adults reel back. He just shrugs and continues, "She ended up taking care of me in a way. I could always talk to her, and she taught me a little. Like how to access my magic a little. She also would find food for me to eat so that I wouldn't starve. Don't worry though, the Dursley's never found out about her."

To say that Dumbledore was surprised would be an understatement. McGonagall was still surprised; she didn't know all of it. "Smelled snake in you?" Dumbledore asks, "Taught you to access your magic? Can you show me that?"

Harry nodded once and then held out is right hand. He focused on a book that was sitting behind Dumbledore. After a couple seconds the book flew to his hand, almost knocking him over. Both adults were visibly shocked. McGonagall the first to recover, "Wandless, silent magic at your age. That's practically unheard of." At the words Harry blushes. He's not so used to be praised, even if it wasn't necessarily meant like that.

"I'm sure you will do excellently here, Mr. Potter." Dumbledore beams at him. "Now onto new living arrangements." Turning to McGonagall, "How about the Weasley's?"

She rolls her eyes, "No. They already have too many children as it is. I was thinking Longbottom."

"Hmmm. Possibly, though Augusta is getting a bit older."

"Older? I agree she has years, but she is still the slave-driver I remember."

"Still, I would feel better with considering a few more before her. She does still have Neville to worry about."

Cocking one of her eyebrows, "You would feel better? After the Dursley's?" Dumbledore cringes slightly, remembering his mistake. "Still, how about the Diggory's? There are two parents, they have only one son, who is already thirteen and so could possibly help Mr. Potter, and they are quite the loving family."

Dumbledore nods his head, "Yes. They are a good choice." He turns to Harry. "What do you say to living with a new family, at least for a few days. We can look into your time at the Dursley's and make sure you don't go back."

Harry brightens at this, but then darkens slightly, "As long as they are ok with mother. If they are, then I'll be fine. Might turn out that I actually like living with them."

"I'm sure you will. They are a good family, and I'll explain about your…'mother.'"

"No need, Albus. I'll call them." She says forcefully. Lest he forget about his abysmal mistake. He hesitantly nods. She goes over to fireplace and grabs some green powder from a jar on top of the mantle. She throws the powder into the fireplace and it turns greens. "Diggory manor" she says loudly. After a few moments a pretty woman's face shows up.

"Minerva, so lovely to see you," the mystery woman says cheerfully. "To what do I owe the call?"

"Hello Beth. I was hoping that you and Amos might come to Albus' office. There is something we would like to talk with the two of you about."

"Is something wrong?" Beth Diggory asks nervously.

"Yes there is, but don't worry, it does not concern Cedric, at least not yet."

"Well, ok. As long as he's not in trouble. We should be there in a few minutes."

"Thank you. When you get here, you may have to wait for a bit. I need to retrieve…something."

With a suspicious tone, Beth agrees. Quickly, McGonagall takes Harry outside in order to get his snake. When they do find her, she puts a glamour on it so as to make it not recognizable as a basilisk. It'll limit the panic at least. They quickly return, with the snake slithering behind them. When they enter, they see a man and a woman sitting in front of the headmaster's desk making small talk. They turn when they hear the door open.

"Minerva," the man starts, "so lovely to see you."

She smiles back, "As it is you, Amos."

The two Diggorys notice Harry standing slightly behind the headmistress. "And who is this little cutie?" Mrs. Diggory croons.

"H…Harry, ma'am. Nice to meet you" he says meekly.

"Nice to meet you as well, Harry" the woman responds with a smile.

"Mr. and Mrs. Diggory," McGonagall starts, "I'm sure you're both wondering why you are here." They nod in unison. "Harry here, needs a new place to stay, at least for a few days until Albus and I can find something a little more permanent."

After looking at each other in confusion, Mrs. Diggory asks, "May I ask why? Does he not have a family that has been taking care of him?"

McGonagall sighs. "Yes, he does have…relatives," she drawls, "but I would not say that they have been taking care of him. It seems that they were abusing him."

"Abusing him?" Mrs. Diggory cries out, "that is horrible. It is unforgiveable to abuse a child, or really anyone for that matter, but a child most definitely." Her face reddens with anger.

The man puts a gentle hand on his wife's shoulder to calm her down. "We would be delighted to help, Minerva. We can look after him till the school year starts. By the time school ends we should be able to figure out something permanent."

"There is one more thing, Amos. It won't only be Mr. Potter…"

"Mr. Potter! As in Harry Potter?" he interrupts.

Sighing once more, "Yes, Harry Potter. But seriously Amos, he is a child. Please do not tell me that you actually believe that hogwash." She becomes annoyed. How anyone could think that a child could defeat the Dark Lord is beyond her. She thinks that all of those people that do are complete and utter morons.

"Professor," Harry squeaks, "what hogwash?"

She turns to the boy. "I'm sorry." She kneels down to him. "It is believed that you defeated an evil wizard." Hesitantly she adds, "he was the one that killed your parents. He gave you that scar." His eyes tear up. She quickly pulls the little boy into her arms. She always adored his parents, even if his father was a pain in school. She wishes that she could give them back to him. But she can't. All she can do is hold this little boy as he cries for parents that he never had the chance to know.

After a few minutes, Harry pulls away. Rubbing at his cheeks, he says, "I'm s…sorry. I just miss them." He looks at the floor with a broken expression.

"I know. I miss them too." She looks back up to Mr. Diggory. "Amos, he is not a hero, he is an orphan" she states bluntly. "He lost his parents, so please do not be a complete imbecile." The man looks ashamed.

His wife looks at Harry with a sad expression. She feels for the little boy. She lost a lot of friends in those days as well. "Don't worry, Minerva. We will take care of him." She truly wants to help this boy.

McGonagall stands up while holding Harry close to her. "It is a bit more complicated than that, Beth." See the look of confusion she continues, "He has a pet, more really. He has a friend who I believe he is going to bond with." She looks down at the boy. "Harry, why don't you tell her to come out."

He looks up at her and nods his head. _"Mother, you can come out now, and pleassssse be nice."_ The couple visibly shudder at the hissing. They give each other a concerned look. When they look back they see a giant snake slither around the boy.

" _When am I ever not nice?"_ she hisses innocently.

Mr. Diggory looks distraught. "Is…is that a…a sna…snake?"

"Yes," Harry responds, "she is my mother. She has helped take care of me since I was five."

Mrs. Diggory looks confused. "Helped taken care of you?"

"Yes, ma'am. She brought me food so I wouldn't starve. She also kept me company and talked to me." He says sheepishly. "Don't worry though, she is very nice."

"Well," she begins, "at least she isn't a basilisk." She notices Harry and McGonagall's faces. "What?"

"You see, Beth" McGonagall hesitates, "she actually is a basilisk." She then takes the glamour off of the snake.

Mr. Diggory screams, "What the bloody hell! Why did you let it in here! It should be killed!"

"Mr. Diggory!" Dumbledore finally interjects, "the basilisk has been with Mr. Potter since he was five. She undoubtedly saved him from the starvation that his relatives would have subjected him to. Calm yourself."

McGonagall drawls, "she has been in the office for a while now, and has yet to hurt you. Obviously, she is tame, if not outright intelligent."

"Oh she is intelligent." Harry pipes up, "she is actually a great teacher. She knows a lot about the wizarding world, and she taught me."

Mrs. Diggory thinks deeply. "If that is the case, Harry, then we would of course let her accompany you." She ignores the indignant look from her husband. "But, you need to make sure that she does not hurt anyone."

"I'll make sure. Umm…could you actually tell me what a bond is."

Dumbledore quickly says, "A bond, is between two beings of magic. If you bond with your snake, then you could speak to her through your mind, and she could speak to you. She would also increase your magical power."

"Oh, ok. Thank you, sir." He turns to the snake. _"How would we bond?"_

" _Are you sssssure young one?"_ He nods his head. _"Very well. You just need to accept me. I will sssssend some of my magic to you and you allow it to connect with yoursssss."_ She focuses on her magic and it slowly moves toward Harry. When he feels it, it feels like a warm embrace. He likes the feeling, and lets it wash over him. A shift is felt in the room, and then he looks at her and gasps.

" _Why do you look different?"_ He notices that the skin on top of her head has disappeared. Her eyes are also a blue underneath the eyelid, instead of yellow. Her scales also look lighter, and her whole body is slightly bigger.

" _Thisssss isssss what a true basssssilisssssk looksssss like. I no longer resssssemble that tainted bloodline that mossssst people know. I can ssssstill kill with my gaze, but now I can actually control it. I also have three more gazesssss. I can ssssswitch between them. My normal isssss the one you sssssee now. I can open my eyessss, but I do not wisssssh to ssssscare the othersssss."_

" _I'll tell them."_ He turns back to the adults and notices that they have also noticed the differences. "When her eyes are like this, her gaze does not kill."

Dumbledore is the first to recover. "Harry, what do you mean?"

"She says that she is a true basilisk, and that they ones that everyone thinks of is a tainted bloodline. She says that there are other gazes too, aside from her normal one, which I guess is blue, and her killing gaze, which I assume is still yellow."

Turning back to the snack, _"I told them."_ She nods and opens her eyes. While Mr. Diggory screams slightly, Harry notices that her eyes look like beautiful sapphires. _"What elssssse isssss there mother?"_

" _There isssss alssssso my healing gaze. With it I can heal any perssssson. Finally, my paralysssssisssss gaze. It will ssssstop anyone that ssssseesssss it, but do not fret, it isssss not forever and doessss not hurt. You are alssssso immune to all sssssnake venom now. There are other things, but we can discuss those later. For now, young one, you ssssshould pick a name for me."_

" _Me? Pick your name?"_ She nods. He turns back to Dumbledore. "She says that she also has a healing gaze that can heal anyone, and a paralysis gaze, which is only temporary and does not hurt. I'm also immune to all snake venom, and there's still more." He looks hesitantly at McGonagall. "She also says that I should give her a name."

McGonagall is astounded at this turnout. She finally finds her voice, "I think you should pick a name that reminds you of her."

He tilts his head and thinks. "I can't think of any right now." Turning back to his new familiar, _"Can I think on your name?"_

" _Yesssss little one."_ She rubs her head against his hand affectionately. He in turn rubs her head.

"She said that I can think on it. Mr. and Mrs. Diggory, I hope you still want to let me stay with you for a bit" he says while he lowers his head to look nervously at the floor.

Seeing the whole event eases some of Mrs. Diggory's mind about the snake. "Of course, Harry. Of course you can still stay with us." She smiles at him and walks over. She kneels down and pulls him in for a gentle hug. She notices that the basilisk seems quite gentle and calm. This only solidifies her thought that the snake won't be an issue.

She then turns her stare at her husband, silently telling him to agree. "Y…yes. Of course it'll be fine."

"Excellent," Dumbledore says as he claps his hands together. "So I will look into officially removing him from the guardianship of the Dursleys as well as finding a suitable living arrangement."

Soon, the couple, along with Harry and his snake make their way to the fireplace. Harry finds out that it's called Floo, and that they will take it back to the manor. As Harry stumbles out of the fireplace on the other end, with a very annoyed basilisk in tow, he looks up and sees that the room is huge.

The walls are a soft, golden colour. There are drapes drawn open flanking huge windows on the walls to his left and right. He notices that the fireplace is in the corner of the room, and is quite huge itself. The carpet is a golden hue, along with the furniture. The entire room looks quite fantastic, the colours making the entire room look like the sun is shining right into it.

Mrs. Diggory quickly brushes him free of ash, and sends a spell to clean the snake. She then takes his hand while telling him to leave his things where they are, telling him that a house-elf will take care of them. She walks him to a couch and sits him down. The snake moves up the back of the couch and drapes herself on his shoulders, adding a comforting presence to keep him calm.

"Don't worry dear. Amos is just getting our son Cedric so we can explain the situation to him."

"Oh, ok ma'am" he murmurs.

She laughs at his cuteness. "You can call me Beth, dear, and my husband Amos." As she says this, her husband and a teenager walk in.

The teenager is taller than Harry by a good foot. He has light brown hair that falls to his ears. His nose is straight, and his lips are thin. His eyes are a deep blue. He is slim, but not lanky, and he wears tight jeans and a blue tank top, showing off some muscles. He looks curiously at Harry, and then at the snake on his shoulders. His father told him that they would be having a guest for a while, and that there were some things to talk about first.

As the man and teen sat on a couch facing Harry, Beth sat next to him. She told her son about the situation. She talked about Harry needing a new place to stay until school, as where he was living was not suitable for a child. She talked about him being the Boy-Who-Lived, as well as stressing that he was just a boy, and not a hero, though Cedric never really believed the story. After all, he was an intelligent person. She went on to say that he would stay with them until school started, and that a more permanent arrangement would be found for next summer.

She also told him about the snake. She mentioned how the snake had brought Harry food so he wouldn't starve, how it bonded with him, and was something called a 'true basilisk' and how the others were 'tainted.' She mentioned Harry relaying the words of the snake about her gazes, and that the blue eyes were perfectly fine to look at, and even the green ones could heal anybody. She finally ended on Harry saying that he was going to think of a proper name for the snake.

At this Cedric spoke up, "How about Isis?"


	4. Summer, Train Ride, and a Sorting

Harry Potter is just a little boy who lives with his relatives. He has an abuse filled life. No one seems to care about him. That is until one day, he starts to talk to a snake.

I do not own anything, simply carving out my own little piece of fantasy. J. K. Rowling is the goddess of this world, I but a humble writer.

Rating K+ (for now)

Not yet beta-d.

" _Parseltongue"_

 _Mind Link_

 **Sorry for the long delay. I had school, lack of inspiration, and life.**

...

 **Summer, Train Ride, and a Sorting**

To say that Harry was happy with living with the Diggorys would be an understatement. In under a week, they had shown him more kindness than the Dursleys had in his entire life. After getting him settled into the room he would be staying in for the time being, they took him to St. Mungo's for a check-up. They even allowed Isis to come along as well, though that did make some of the staff nervous.

During the check-up, it was discovered that Harry suffered from a history of malnutrition. He was put on potion regimens to correct the deficiencies, though it took a couple weeks to see any major improvement which became noticed in Harry's eyesight being fixed. He was also given vaccinations that he should've already gotten, as well as the ones that only affected magical humans, such as dragon pox. They summed up the treatments by fixing several bones that had been broken and then healed incorrectly, along with getting rid of a lot of scar tissue. The Diggorys were quite furious when they were informed of the extent of the abuse.

They also took Harry to get clothes that actually fit him. Harry continuously tried to stave off their spending money on him, but they wouldn't hear anything of it. Mrs. Diggory was the most vehement in seeing that Harry was taken care of, and Isis told Harry that she could smell the woman's hatred, which was undoubtedly directed at the Dursleys. Secretly, Harry was ecstatic that the Diggorys seemed to care about him so much.

One day, they talked with Harry about possibly getting a haircut, at which point he told them about the few times that his aunt had tried, and had resulted in his hair growing back over night. The three were surprised to say the least. Harry was surprised when they asked if he would be ok with having a magical abilities test done. He was curious to see what it could tell them, and thus quickly agreed.

The next morning found the four at Gringott's. Once again, Griphook was the one that helped. Harry astounded all present when he remembered the goblin and greeted him in a friendly manner. After giving a little blood, mixing it into a potion, and letting a special parchment soak, it was found that along with parseltongue, Harry was also a metamorphmagus. It was determined that both abilities had been passed down from the Black line through Dorea Potter-Black, Harry's grandmother. After leaving the bank, they made a quick stop to get a couple books on metamorphmagi in order to help him control his ability.

Not every day was about getting Harry what he needed, there was also the need to introduce Harry to others, especially those that he would be going to school with. This is the reason that they took a day to visit the Weasley family. Harry hit it off with the twins, Fred and George, or as they would say Gred and Forge, almost instantly; they were fun and energetic and always up for a good laugh. Ronald Weasley, the second youngest child and youngest boy, was a bit awestruck at first, but quickly got over it. Ginerva, the youngest and only girl, was quite shy and would run off all the while blushing madly.

It wasn't only the Weasleys that they visited. They also saw Neville Longbottom and his grandmother, Harry's closest living relatives the Tonks, the Greengrasses, who Mr. Diggory dealt with at the Ministry, and several other families. All of the families were intrigued by Harry, and very wary of Isis.

Cedric also took part in introducing Harry to the wizarding world. He taught him about Quidditch, which excited Harry to no end, especially when Hedwig one day landed on his broom while he was flying. He taught him the basics of spells and potions, some history, laws and customs, and just about anything he could think of that Harry should know going into his first year. Harry absorbed all the information quickly, always excited to learn or do something new.

Cedric also told Harry about the four houses of Hogwarts. When Harry brought up his conversation with the blond haired boy, or when Ron said that Slytherins were all evil, Cedric quickly refuted. Harry learned that Gryffindors could be brave and honorable, but could still be mean, that Ravenclaws could be very intelligent, but would also be foolish, that Hufflepuffs could be loyal and hardworking, but could also be prejudiced and cheaters, and that Slytherins could be cunning and driven, but could also be short sighted. He explained that nobody fit into a single category, that everybody had good traits and bad traits. The lesson left Harry wondering where he would fit.

Finally, the day arrived for Cedric and Harry to take the train to Hogwarts. Mr. and Mrs. Diggory were both saddened to see their boys, because they did consider Harry part of their family already even if he would live elsewhere, to go. They made both promise that they would write at least once a week and that they would stay out of trouble. As the train left, the two waved to the boys and anticipated the first letter.

Cedric opened a door to a compartment and both he and Harry took seat on opposite benches. After a few minutes, some of Cedric's friends dragged him to their own compartment leaving Harry alone.

While looking out the window as the scenery sped by, he heard the door open again. Turning his head, he saw Ron sitting down. "Hey Harry, how was the rest of your summer?"

"It was good. Found out that I'm a metamorphmagus."

"Wow, that's awesome. Is that why your hair is less messy?"

"Yeah. I can actually run a brush through it now." This left both boys laughing.

After a while, Neville found them. While all three were talking about the possible classes and what Hogwarts would look like, the door opened to reveal the blond boy from Diagon Alley. He had his hair slicked back without a hair out of place. He was flanked by two boys, both of which were large, though not as large as his cousin, Dudley.

"I heard that Harry Potter was in this compartment." His gaze sweeping over all three, it finally landed on Harry. "You, are you Harry Potter?"

Seeing Neville tense and Ron getting angry, he decided to try to handle things carefully. "Yeah, and what would your name be?"

"Draco Malfoy," the boy said while extending his hand.

Just as Harry was going to shake it, Ron blurted out, "Oi, Malfoy, why don't you bugger off!"

Draco sneered. "Red hair, freckles, and cheap clothes, you must be a Weasley." Turning back to Harry, "Not all families are equal. I can help you choose the right families to associate with." He puts his hand out again.

After a moment's hesitation, Harry grasps his hand. "Thank you, but I would rather get to know for myself who the right kind are." This left the five other boys shocked. After letting go of Draco's hand he adds, "I would appreciate it if you would attempt to restrain yourself," he throws a glare at Ron, "if both of you would attempt to restrain yourselves, from insulting either my friends or people looking to be my friends."

 _"Very well done, sssssnakeling."_ Looking down, Harry notices that Isis had woken up.

 _"Thank you, mother,"_ he hissed with a smile.

As he hissed his thanks, all boys finally noticed the large snake that was poking its head out of a bag.

Draco was the first to react. "You're a parselmouth?"

Looking back at Draco, Harry blushes slightly, "Err…yeah. Ever since I was little."

Draco looked at him with a mixture of emotions. This boy had not only stood up to him, but was a parselmouth. He was rich, famous, and powerful. He quickly decided that it would be a good idea to stay in good relations with him. "Might I inquire as to what kind of snake that is?"

"She is a basilisk. Her name is Isis and she is my familiar." The statement sent shock through the five boys. Ron and Neville had known about the snack, but didn't know that she was a basilisk nor that she was Harry's familiar. While Draco's two companions remained silent, seemingly confused about the entire situation, Draco was thinking of the implications.

Carefully, Draco continued his line of inquiry. "How did you even find her?" It was after all not every day that one finds a basilisk.

"She actually found me. She heard from the other snakes that I was a speaker. She helped me, taught me even. She's actually the one that told me about magic. I only bonded with her a few weeks ago so I could bring her to school with me. Don't worry though, she's not a danger, at least not to anyone that doesn't mean me harm."

The comment about telling him about magic sounded odd. Deciding to take time to process and plan his path forward he said goodbye and went to his friends.

After Draco and the other two left, the three boys continued talking. They talked until they started nearing the station, at which point a girl with bushy brown hair came by and told them they should get ready.

Stepping off the train, the new arrivals heard a booming voice calling for first years. As they approached, Harry couldn't help but stare in wonderment at the largest man he had ever seen. He learned that the man's name was Hagrid and that he took care of the grounds. Hagrid shepherded all of the kids onto the boats and took them across the lake.

Upon arrival, the started up stone stairs and were told to wait as Hagrid gave the signal that they had arrived. Out came Professor McGonagall, which made Harry smile as he remembered her help, and then made him blush as she gave a slight smile back. She informed them that when they went in, they were going to be sorted into one of four houses. The houses, and the students therein, were going to be a sort of family for the time that they were at Hogwarts.

After a speech on rule breaking and punishments, she led them inside. Harry, along with all of the new first years, were awed by the sight in the Great Hall. From floating candles to a ceiling that, as one girl informed, was enchanted to look like the sky above, magic was abundant. From both sides of the aisle that they walked down, they were stared at by the older kids. Harry especially made a sight, Isis wrapped around his shoulders, which was made easier by her using some of her own magic to be smaller. One pair of eyes never left him.

The sorting consisted of putting on an old hat that would yell out the house. Just before Harry's name was called, he looked around and found Cedric, who gave him a smile and thumbs up for encouragement.

"Harry Potter."

The hall fell so silent that it was almost possible to hear the heartbeat of the ghosts. Isis reminded Harry to keep his chin up. She reminded him that what others thought was of no consequence on his life, that it was his life, and he would always have her.

As soon as the hat was on his head he heard a voice. "Ah, Mr. Potter. So nice to finally meet you. And if you would give my regards to Isis, she is the first snake, let alone basilisk, that I have ever met. Now where to put you. You have courage which would suit Gryffindor, intelligence for Ravenclaw, and loyalty for Hufflepuff. With your mother's teaching you have become quite cunning as well which is a Slytherin trait. So, will you fight or learn. Will you settle or achieve. You are willing to work hard, but you are not so foolish as not to look for a better way. In Hufflepuff you would have many friends, including Mr. Diggory. Gryffindor is where your parents went. You love to learn and so Ravenclaw again would fit. You also have a drive to achieve that would suit Slytherin.

From Mr. Diggory, you have already become enlightened to the truth of the houses. While great, both in history and values, they are not absolute. I would say Ravenclaw is out, as you rely on more than books.

On the train, you risked losing an established friend in an effort to keep peace, which would both encompass and not encompass both Gryffindor courage and Hufflepuff loyalty. How you managed it though was a reflection of Slytherin cunning. You are quite hard to place little one. There really is no one place to put you.

So, which will you choose? Will you embrace Slytherin cunning, Hufflepuff loyalty, or Gryffindor courage? Choose wisely, little one, this may impact your entire future."

Harry was reeling from the Hat's question. Which should he choose.

 _Isis, which do you think will be the best?_

 _Snakeling, in my time I have had many experiences. I have needed courage for some, such as traveling to find you. Loyalty such as with my family in times of stress. Intelligence when trying to learn about the world. But most of all, I have needed cunning. Through cunning, I was able to discern when I needed to fight or flee, when I needed to be loyal or betray, when I needed formal teaching or my own experience. With cunning you will be able to use the others when it will most benefit you and those you hold close._

 _Thank you mother. I choose…_

"Slytherin!"


	5. Of Lions and Snakes with Side of Badger

Harry Potter is just a little boy who lives with his relatives. He has an abuse filled life. No one seems to care about him. That is until one day, he starts to talk to a snake.

I do not own anything, simply carving out my own little piece of fantasy. J. K. Rowling is the goddess of this world, I but a humble writer.

Rating K+ (for now)

Not yet beta-d.

" _Parseltongue"_

 _Mind Link_

…

 **Of Lions and Snakes with a Side of Badger**

The hall was silent, and then it was like an explosion. Most of the Gryffindor table was shouting. They were furious that they didn't get the Boy-Who-Lived, they were even angrier that he was going to Slytherin. While they shouted, the Hufflepuffs looked a little confused, the Ravenclaws looked bored, and the Slytherins were mostly unaffected, or so it seemed.

Draco Malfoy, for one, was quite pleased. He would get the chance to be Harry's friend. While the encounter on the train had been less than he had wanted, it was still not horrible. He had wanted a friendship immediately, but he had gotten a calm acquaintanceship. Now though, they would be in the same dorm, house, and classes. He would always be around the boy, and he would work to become his friend.

On the other side of the hall, among the shouting lions, there were some that were practically disgusted by the outburst of their fellow house members. Neville had become friends with Harry, and while it was true that he had wished for him to be in the house, they were confident that they would be able to maintain the friendship. Fred and George Weasley had started seeing Harry as an almost little brother. They could tell that he was a good kid and would remain good. They decided that they would help him if he wanted or needed. The other first year lions were simply feeling awkward. They weren't use to the blatant house rivalry, and so didn't know what to think of the anger the upper years were showing towards Slytherin. Ron, still waiting to be sorted, was silently wishing that he could go to Slytherin, the only reason being for him to help keep Harry safe, either from the snakes or the lions. Ron, however, was to be a Gryffindor.

Cedric was another person that was angry, or rather furious. He wasn't furious with Harry. How could he be? Harry had become almost like a little brother to him in the month that he had spent living with his family. No. He was furious with the stupid lions. How dare they get angry at an eleven-year-old simply for not being sorted into their house. Before McGonagall or any other professor could act, he stood up and used a strong auguamenti to completely soak the Gryffindors.

The lions for their part were completely left speechless. In the interlude, Cedric let out with a mighty roar that would put the strongest of dragons to shame. "HOW DARE YOU BASTARDS YELL AT HIM! HE'S A KID! YOU SHOULD ALL BE ASHAMED FOR SCREAMING AT HIM JUST BECAUSE HE ISN'T IN YOUR PRECIOUS HOUSE! IF THIS IS HOW YOU ACT, I'M ECSTATIC THAT HE ISN'T WITH YOU BUNCH OF IDIOTIC, PETTY, BACKSTABBING ARSEHOLES!"

The entire hall was left speechless. Nobody had ever seen nor heard of Cedric losing his temper like that. With his outburst, the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws started shooting the lions disapproving looks. The Slytherins for their part, remained aloof, well aware that any action on their part could cause chaos to ensue once more, as well as bring down the ire of the school on them once more.

McGonagall was the first of the teachers to recover. "Mr. Diggory, that will be ten points from Hufflepuff for your outburst, and a further ten for the use of vulgar language. Fifty points are awarded for your loyalty, and twenty-five for the bravery that you showed, especially when bravery is supposedly the trait of my house!" She turned a glare that would freeze a volcano mid eruption on the Gryffindor table. "As for you lot, I will deal with you later." The statement leaves the entire hall feeling ten degrees colder, and even the feared potions master, Severus Snape, feels a shiver run up his spine.

Harry, through all of this, had remained seated. He was at first shocked at the noise, and then realizing that it was anger directed at him, became quite fearful. Isis worked to calm the young boy, promising that nobody would hurt her little Snakeling.

After McGonagall spoke, Cedric made his way to Harry, "Harry, look at me. It's ok. Mum and Dad won't be angry, or at least not at you. You did nothing wrong ok?" He pulls the boy into his arms and hugs him, rubbing his hand on his back in soothing circles. When he feels the boy relax some, he pulls back and looks into his eyes. "You ok now?" With a nod he lets the boy go and directs him towards Slytherin.

The Slytherins see the encounter and become interested. A few feel sympathetic to the boy's plight, while others feel disgusted at the boy's need of a lowly Puff for sympathy. As Harry comes to the table, Draco pulls him down onto the bench next to him. "Don't worry, Harry. I'll help you." While his face remains impassive, his eyes show compassion, and this compassion allows Harry to trust him and his words.

After the last of the new students is sorted, Dumbledore makes a little speech and then food appears in front of the students. As everybody is digging in, a few fifth-year snakes decide to comment on the happenings.

"Hey Potter. Didn't know that you needed your mummy to hold you while you cried."

"Yeah, you should've just gone to the puffs." The group starts laughing.

"Mummy, mummy," One starts to imitate a crying baby, "help me mummy. I'm just a pathetic, useless baby." This causes another round of laughs.

Just as another was opening their mouth, a loud hiss erupts through the hall.

" _How dare you make my sssssnakeling sssssad. I'll bite all of you and crusssssh your bonesssss."_ Isis continues hissing more threats and returns to her normal size. She slides off of Harry's shoulders in order to not hurt him and onto the ground, her head raised and her fangs showing. Her appearance makes the entire group pale as all the blood drains from them. The hall is once for quiet and focused on Harry. Draco for his part was only slightly started and after recovering his composure simply raised an eyebrow at the angry serpent.

Harry finally moves to soothe his familiar. When he finally gets her to quiet, he turns to the group that was mocking him, and with a smirk worthy of Salazar, he explains, "This is my familiar, Isis. She's been my mother since I was five." He pauses to let the words sink in. The group somehow pales even more, starting to look like bleached sheets. "She's actually quite protective of me. I recommend not making her angry." He says the last with emphasis on the 'not.'

He then returns his focus on his food and starts up a conversation with Draco, who participates as if nothing had happened. The other snakes, aside from the group of fifth years, gradually to return to their own food and conversations. After the table, the other three houses and the teachers followed. A couple teachers stared at the boy and snake in contemplation.

After a while of pleasant chatting, a girl across from Harry calls his attention. "Harry, I'm Pansy."

"Nice to meet you." He responds with a smile.

"Likewise. Let me introduce you to Theo, Blaise, Daphne, and Millicent." She motions to a short, pale boy with angular feature, then a tall-ish, deep tanned boy, a pretty girl with blond hair and blue eyes, another girl with light brown hair and chocolate eyes with a more Grecian look. "Those two gorillas are Vincent and Gregory." She motions to the two boys who had been with Draco on the train. "And of course you know dear Draco." She says with a wink that leaves a blush on Harry.

"It's nice to meet all of you." All but Vincent and Gregory reply in kind.

"So Harry darling, might I ask what your familiar said?" Pansy asks with a sweet smile.

Harry chuckles slightly, "Oh you know, she threatened them with bites and crushing. You know, the whole death and torture routine." This elicits laughs from the small group, while the group of fifth years' flinch. "In all honestly, she's actually quite nice."

Daphne looks relieved. "That's good. While we _are_ snakes, it would be stupid to not fear her."

Blaise chuckles, and then looks at Isis in contemplation. "Harry, what kind of snake is she?"

"She's a basilisk."

This causes a shock to run through the group, and a few others who were within hearing. Theo decides to speak up, "A basilisk? How? I mean how did you find one?"

"Oh I didn't find her, she found me. I was working in my aunt's garden one day and she started speaking to me. She said that she had been looking for me, the speaker as the snakes call someone like me."

Draco becomes slightly confused. "You said you were working in the garden? But you were five. Why were you working in the garden? Didn't you have house elves to do that for you?"

"I lived with my aunt and uncle. They're muggles so no elves. And the garden was one of my chores."

"Chores?" Millicent asks, "Why were you doing chores? You were five."

"My aunt and uncle said that I had to do chores in order to 'pay my way,'" he does air quotes. "They said that because they gave me the cupboard and food that I had to do chores."

"Cupboard? Pay your way? We all heard that you were spoiled and pampered, that your relatives loved you."

"Hardly." He sneers. "In fact, they hated me. Hated all magic, though I didn't know about magic until Isis told me. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't have known known about magic until I got my acceptance letter."

Pansy carefully asks, "Did they hurt you, you know, because they hated you?"

With a somber tone, "Yeah, a little. They mostly just starved me, or rather tried to. Isis would go out during the night and steal food for me. She's pretty much the only reason that I wasn't malnourished. She actually got angry a lot, always threatening to hurt, well, kill, my relatives. I had to convince her not to pretty much every week."

A hand lands on his shoulder, he finds Draco smiling, trying to give him some silent comfort.

Theo finally pipes up, "Well make sure that she doesn't hear any roosters crowing."

Harry turns and rolls his eyes. "Don't need to worry, that only kills faux basili."

Theo scrunches his eyebrows in confusion. "Faux basili?"

"Yeah, fake. They're the ones that hatch from a chicken egg under a toad, or some such nonsense. Isis calls them the 'tainted bloodline.' They apparently are descended from basilisks that were altered in order to be subservient. Isis on the other hand, is a true basilisk. She isn't subservient to anyone." Seeing some confusion on the faces, he continues. "For example, if I ordered a tainted basilisk to crawl into a fire, it would. If I asked the same of Isis, she would probably tell me off for being stupid. A tainted one has to follow the orders of a parselmouth, a true one retains their independence, even if they are a familiar. Oh, and only a true basilisk can become a familiar."

The explanation seems to satisfy the group and they continue on with eating and go onto other topics.

After the feast is concluded, the headmaster tells the students the rules about banned items and the Forbidden Forest. He also tells them to not go to the third floor corridor on the right unless they wanted to die a most painful death. He then excused them to go to their dormitories for rest so they could attend classes the following morning.

McGonagall quickly marches her house out, fury written on her face. The other three houses quietly leave, the first years following the prefects.

When the first year snakes finally arrive at the Slytherin dormitories, they watch as the password, 'beazor,' is said and a blank wall suddenly opens into an archway. Inside, Harry looks around the common room. The ceiling is covered with silver hangings, slightly bowing with gravity, the furniture is all plush greens with silver trimming. Four fireplaces are lit, warming the entire room, with snakes decorating the mantles. The carpet is soft yet thick and a calm green colour. The walls are covered with bookcases, which are, as expected, filled with books.

The first years are told to remain in the common room to wait for their head of house. As the other kids start to filter up down two halls to their room, a door between them opens up. Out walks a tall man. He's dressed in all black, with greasy hair and a stern face. The infamous potions master and Head of Slytherin, Severus Snape. The first years instinctively quiet and give him his undivided attention. They feel the air of authority around him; they just know not to get on his bad side.

"I am Professor Snape, Head of Slytherin. Here in Slytherin we have certain standards. You will _not_ embarrass this house, or you will have me to deal with, and I promise you, it will be most…unpleasant." He drawls. "You will not break the rules, but if you do, do _not_ get caught." A few of the firsties feel a shiver go down their spines. "Do not go out by yourself, always travel in a group. We are effectively outcasts at this school, the other houses have no problem attacking our house. If you have any issues, either school or personal, I have office hours at which time you may come to me. I will also visit every Sunday after one for the same reason. Dismissed." The kids start to move towards the hallways, already their eyes are drooping from the long train ride and the rich feast. "Potter, Draco. Come with me."

Both immediately obey. Draco is apprehensive. He hadn't done anything yet to warrant anger from his godfather. Yes, his godfather was Severus. He probably just wants to talk, let me know that he expects my best. That sounds like the potions master.

Harry on the other hand doesn't know what to think. He heard from Cedric and the older Weasleys that Professor Snape was really mean. They did say that he favored Slytherin though, so he should be ok, right? He just didn't know, and it made him immensely nervous.

Walking through the door, Harry notices that they seem to have entered the professor's office. There's diagrams on the walls, several bookcases filled with texts on the subject of potions, and surprisingly, defense against the dark arts as well. There are rolls of parchment in neat stakes on one table to the side of the desk, probably assignments or such. The entire office is neat and organized and very clean.

"Sit" He motions towards to chairs in front of the desk. "Mr. Potter, I noticed the incident with your snake during the meal. I will not have it causing problems. Understand?" It may have been a question, but it definitely sounded like a command. Harry nods in understanding, a slight bit of fear on his face. "Good. Now get to bed."

Harry makes his way to where he assumes his room is. As he enters, he finds the other four boys already getting ready for bed. He quickly goes to his trunk and pulls out pajamas and his toiletries. Once finished with brushing his teeth and such, he crawls into bed, Isis already at the foot. Before covering himself with the blanket, Isis takes her place next to his body. His body heat will keep her warm through the night, especially with the dungeons being so cold. He slowly drifts off to sleep, a smile on his small face.

…

 **A reader commented in regards to a rooster's crow killing a basilisk. I had already planned for that, especially since I really don't like that one myth, sounds completely stupid to me. A gaudy bird killing the deadliest snake of all times, with its terrible singing. Nope. Stupid.**

 **Also, I'm looking for a Beta if anyone is interested.**

 **I had called Crabbe and Goyle Greg and Goyle. I've fixed it now. I just honestly did not care about them.**


	6. Interum

**To the fans, I'm sorry for the long delay.**

 **This will not be an actual chapter, I just wanted to let you all know that I am not giving up on the story.**

 **I am currently in college, and the semester has been crazy with three science classes, I may be slightly masochistic. Lol**

 **I do plan on continuing, I just need to focus on school for the time being, and I also need some inspiration. Writer's block sucks.**

 **Thank you for your patience.**


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